Are you considering Farmington, Aztec or Bloomfield? (Albuquerque, Alamogordo: for sale, crime)

[Leanne Kinnard]

Bloomfield is NICE! Check it out.
I feel compelled to put in my two cents here about Bloomfield, NM which is a great alternative to living in Farmington or Aztec. I keep seeing postings comparing the three cities and Bloomfield's GOOD qualities deserve some attention. I admit that I am biased because my husband grew up in Bloomfield and we have a home there. We are also putting our money where our mouth is because we have small spec home for sale in Bloomfield (anyone want to buy it? :-)). We believe Bloomfield is THE place everyone will want to be in the next few years. It is has a more rural feel than Farmington. The people are hard working, friendly, and down to earth. The prices on homes and land are not yet as high as Farmington or Aztec. The city has made great strides towards improving the infrastructure and schools. Bloomfield has a brand new beautiful public pool, tennis courts and park that hardly anyone ever uses. We love it in the summer time. The high school athletic program seems to produce some great athletes. Everyone knows everyone and there are alot of activities around community, church and family. Oh yeah...the thing I like best...it is NOT Arizona. It is close to Navajo Lake, Camping, Fishing, Colorado, etc! There is even a small winery in a canyon on the way to the lake that has jazz on Sundays. I love New Mexico!

By the way - please check and compare the crime statistic of Bloomfield compared to Farmington and Aztec on the links below. I think that crime being higher in Bloomfield than the surrounding area is a myth that has been perpetuated over the years through alot of unfounded prejudices. There were ZERO murders reported in Bloomfield for 2001-2006 if the information on the links below is correct.

Bloomfield Profile | Bloomfield NM
Aztec Profile | Aztec NM
Farmington Profile | Farmington NM

[KimK]

And Bloomfield has a great Chief of Police (very proactive).

[Leanne Kinnard]

Thanks for the back up Kim :-)

[desert sun]

Bloomfield has great schools too, like the high school with metal detectors,at least that is what I was told when I lived in that area.

Here is a piece of a story from todays Farmington paper----

BLOOMFIELD — Recess at Naaba Ani Elementary School is a "bedlam" of punching and kicking, and administrators want to end the violence.


Since school started in August, students have committed 159 violations, including 81 incidents of bullying, 12 assaults on teachers, four incidents of drug use and one weapon, according to Webb's numbers. Not all the violations happened at lunchtime,
The students are 9 to 12 years old. "This does impact their mental health, when you have children that are afraid to come to school," social worker Gina Alby said.

Read More >>>
a link---

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Leanne Kinnard

Bloomfield is NICE! Check it out.
Bloomfield Profile | Bloomfield NM
Aztec Profile | Aztec NM
Farmington Profile | Farmington NM

I looked in all three places.....at one home in Bloomfield in particular, twice, on two different trips. It is very definitely more rural than Farmington, and I found home prices slightly cheaper (but not much).

I also looked in Aztec....charming town, but what a hodgepodge of RE, LOL!! Prices there are higher than either Farmington or Bloomfield, probably because of its proximity to Durango.

I concentrated more on Farmington because I don't like to drive every day for indoor swimming (Farmington has at least 3 indoor pools, B/A, none)....and I will keep my eye on the area if I ever decide to leave Alamogordo, which is just great.

Farmington and Bloomfield do get quite a bit of bashing....and many just don't like it at all. Different strokes for different folks....the only way to find out is to visit!!

[KimK]

Yes, there are problems in the school(s). As I have opined before, however, this speaks to a larger picture of problems in New Mexico with crime. To put it bluntly, New Mexico law enforcement does not have the needed legislative "tools" to be able to impact some of these behaviors. Its a wild, wild west mentality with all the problems of the 21st century. We do not have a significant infrastructure like full mental health services to deal with them either. We have 2 million people. Where, oh, where is the money going to come from to staff schools, beef up police patrols, etc. ?

So, creative thinking and problem solving is really a huge advantage when it comes to tackling these issue. Not all cities in New Mexico have creative, problem solvers at the helm. In fact, most don't. I know I digress here but jeez lets give some credit where credit is due.

[Leanne Kinnard]

Thank you Cathy for your fair evaluation and checking things out for yourself. I just love all the people that sit back and judge because they "know someone" or have "heard something". For those people, unless you have lived there or live there now, you speak with no authority. Most everything else is "hearsay".

[Leanne Kinnard]

Last thought - I could pull ALOT of articles on the violence, crime and schools in Albuquerque to counter but then it would look like I am bashing Albuquerque. I love Albuquerque. At least the Bloomfield group is looking at the issues and not sticking their heads in the sand about the problems at schools that exist absolutely everywhere. That is the only reason it made the paper. Give us a break!

[desert sun]

I lived in Farmington from 1980-1988 and also from 2003-2005 so I am familiar with Farmington and the surrounding areas,I went to school in Kirtland and Farmington,My girlfriend is from Aztec and grew up her whole life there,All her family is in Bloomfield and Aztec along with the many gang members she has in her family from Bloomfield.I also made friends with many people from Bloomfield more so than any other town in the area so I am not someone who dosent know anything about the area.

Im not bashing anywhere in 4-corners area Im just speaking my opinion which Im sure newcommers to the area would like to hear the good and bad.

[loboABQ]

I am from the Farmington area as well and I think those considering (or just interested) in obtaining info about the 4 corners should be entitled to all information, good and bad.

The Farmington area is an oil-field driven area so that is what the area caters to. The area has this "rough" type of feel to it (whether that is good or bad, that is up to you).

The area has its good and its bad. The city itself offers quite a bit for a city its size. It tends to be the outlying areas that really reflect badly on the city as most of the poorer homes and litter in the yards come from these outlying areas.

Also, if you are expecting high end shopping or entertainment, I'd look elsewhere. Again, this is a 'worker's town" and you either work in the oil field or raise a family (typically). If you are single and appreciate much, if at all.

Not to say Farmington is bad, it does have really good club sports leagues and outdoor activities are really nice. Also, there are many parks which are kept looking nice. There are a few places to hang out if you're of age (bars/clubs). They aren't the nicest or trendiest, but they are a place to drink (if you are into that).

Again, if you're looking for options in life (like where to eat, where to hangout, where to shop, etc) this probably is not going to mesh with your lifestyle. But if you love the outdoors, yet having a selection of where to shop and eat and don't mind living in smaller type community that caters more towards 'simple' family living, then you may enjoy Farmington.

I don't think I am bashing Farmington as I do enjoy this place since it is "home" (where I grew up). However, for me personally, I would not choose to live there now as it does not offer what I am looking for in life.